Manufacturer Roche: 'Tamiflu is a very useful medicine'

The pharmaceuticals manufacturer Roche has responded robustly to a report which claims the Tamiflu drug is ineffective.

The Cochrane Collaboration claimed the drug did not prevent the spread of flu or reduce dangerous complications, and only slightly helped symptoms.

The UK has spent £473m on Tamiflu, which is stockpiled by governments globally to prepare for flu pandemics.

Barry Clinch, the principal clinical scientist working on Tamiflu for Roche insisted it was "a very useful medicine for treating what is a serious respiratory infection that can lead to death in some instances".